Kaleb Cooper has faced calls to be replaced by disgruntled Clarkson’s Farm fans thanks to his conduct in the latest series of the hit Amazon show.
The fourth season arrived on Friday, and within moments of its premiere, leading star Jeremy Clarkson revealed his trusty right-hand man and farm manager, Cooper, was nowhere to be seen.
While filming was taking place, Cooper was embarking on a nationwide stage tour, leaving Clarkson to man his Chipping Norton farm solo before he conceded he’d need an extra pair of hands.
Enter Harriet Cowan, a 24-year-old temporary replacement for Cooper who wasted no time throwing herself into the thick of the action at Diddly Squat.
Cowan not only proved herself to be an asset to Clarkson at his time of need, but since she made her introduction – and subsequent abrupt exit in episode three – Cowan has become somewhat of a fan-favourite.
Her popularity proved so strong that when series stalwart Cooper returned in the third episode, his reaction to learning Cowan had been employed to fill his shoes led to calls for him to be replaced permanently.
The moment in question came in episode three of season four when Clarkson conceded to Cooper once he was back at the farm: “I had to get help.”
Cooper admitted he was “confused” to hear Clarkson needed to get an extra pair of hands in, and the former Top Gear host quickly realised his farm manager wasn’t best pleased.
Clarkson’s Farm fans know all too well Cooper’s protectiveness of Diddly Squat after he gave regenerative farmer Andy Cato a hard time the previous season.
So when Cooper and Clarkson arrived at a field that had been drilled with barley by Cowan, Clarkson warned him: “Right, now that, that’s Harriet. Now, be nice, behave. Not having any of your Andy Cato nonsense…”
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Once Cooper left the car, Clarkson told the cameras: “This is going to be interesting, because he wants to encourage young people to start farming, but I don’t think he wants them to farm on this farm.”
“Lovely to meet you,” Cooper exaggerated as he approached Cowan before standing in an awkward silence and perusing the field
“Did you drill this?” he asked Cowan, who was standing by land agent Charlie Ireland, before she quickly replied: “Yeah… judgment here.”
“Inspection!” Ireland chipped in with a laugh before he quizzed Cooper: “Look, are you pleased? We’ve got barley germinating.”
When Clarkson eventually joined the conversation, Cowan informed him that she’d also applied the fertiliser to the ground, which prompted Cooper to sarcastically remark: “Have you put the right fert on?”
Unimpressed, Cooper looked on as Ireland pulled up a slug from the ground and began informing Clarkson of the danger the animal posed to the crop.
Clarkson then regaled the group with a tale about how an incident involving slugs in France landed him in prison, but Cooper was far from amused.
“You’ve lost your sense of humour, haven’t you?” Clarkson asked a grumpy-looking Cooper, to which he replied: “No. I just don’t speak French, so why would that whole conversation matter to me?”
Upon returning to the barns, Clarkson decided to put Cooper in his place, pulling him up over his demanding behaviour and joking he’d developed “c*** flu” after being pampered on tour.
In the following days, Cowan and Cooper developed a more jovial bond, sharing a laugh as they joined Clarkson to herd a boar into a trailer and discussing Cowan’s training courses.
But despite Cooper improving his relationship with Cowan and becoming more upbeat as the first four episodes progressed, some viewers had had enough.
Taking to X to hit out at Cooper for his conduct on the show, one fan fumed: “Wasn’t impressed with Kaleb at all when he saw Harriet.”
Reacting to a post about Cowan by a Clarkson’s Farm fan account, another said: “She’s brilliant- Kaleb had his nose put out of joint – thought he acted rude and like a spoilt brat towards her when they met.”
“I used to like Kaleb, but he’s come back from his grand tour (what?) and behaves like a complete t**t, ordering Jezza around as if he owns the farm. What a prat,” a third hit out. “Get rid of Kaleb and install Harriet permanently. She’s good fun. #ClarksonsFarm4.”
A fourth concurred: “@ClarksonsFarm1 After watching the first 4 episodes, can I, on behalf of the viewers, suggest you bring in Harriet on a regular basis?
“She’s a breath of fresh air compared with that moaning, miserable, know-it-all Kaleb Cooper.”
And a fifth echoed: “Watching Clarkson’s Farm and Kaleb has definitely had his nose put out of joint by the introduction of Harriet. Never seen a man look so threatened by a woman.”
Meanwhile, a sixth weighed in: “Kaleb took an opportunity to tour… You found a brilliant replacement and, tbf, from what I saw, Harriet outshines him and his disgruntlement on his return was not pleasant to watch.” (sic)
Sadly for Cowan fans, the young farmer isn’t set to return to Diddly Squat any time soon, with a fifth season currently being filmed and a sixth season not yet greenlit.
But Clarkson didn’t rule out calling on Cowan’s help in the future if he should need to, as he paid a moving tribute to the Clarkson’s Farm newbie.
